


In Deep Trouble

by EarthboundJedi



Category: Trollhunters (Cartoon)
Genre: For the Glory of Fandom, Trollhunters Writing Contest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-03-13 09:43:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13567935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EarthboundJedi/pseuds/EarthboundJedi
Summary: Jim has just been sentenced to the Deep, and now he needs to survive so he can get back to his friends.i almost titled this "Rolling in the Deep" but i didn't so you're welcomeMy entry for the Trollhunters writing contest, "For the Glory of Fandom"





	In Deep Trouble

_Breathe in. Breathe out._

Jim knelt on his hands and knees, the sound of his breathing ear-splitting in the silent air. The soft clattering of his armor against stone echoed off of a thousand unseen surfaces with every slight movement he made.

It had all happened so fast. One minute he had been suspended in his cage, his friends trying everything they possibly could to talk the Tribunal into releasing him. The next, he was looking into the eyes of his companions one last time as he was repositioned over the chasm to plummet to his certain doom. He had seen their expressions before: the sorrow, the heartache, the desperation, the fear.

The last time he’d seen that mix of emotions, he had been barricading his friends from following him into the Darklands. It had been for the noble purpose of trying to keep them safe, but in the end his friends were the ones who had burst onto the scene just in the nick of time to save his skin.

This time, Jim was certain no rescue party was coming.

He took a moment to steady himself, standing up to his full height and letting his magic armor illuminate his surroundings. Rocks darker than deepest night surrounded him, their combination of smooth and rough facets somehow amplifying the deafening silence.  Any sign of the light from Trollmarket had died out thousands of feet above his head.

It was almost as if he was back in the Darklands. But this place made him uneasy in ways the Darklands never could. Because this place wasn’t guarded from human- and troll-kind by way of a mystical amulet and long legacy of heroes. No… this place existed, in this very dimension, in spite of all things good and bright he was sworn to protect. The Deep was the very embodiment of fear and despair, fed over the centuries by the folly of man and troll alike. And there was nothing he nor the amulet of Merlin could do about it.

Jim’s sword leapt to his hand as he heard a low, gravelly noise somewhere behind him.

_No, there_ is _something I can do - I can survive._

_Trollmarket, Arcadia, and all my friends and family need their Trollhunter to survive._

A flash of red appeared at the edge of his vision. Jim brought the Sword of Daylight around to meet his attacker. As quick as the strike had come, his adversary had already faded into darkness. Jim felt his pulse quicken, his heart beating a battle cry in his ears.

Again the figure in red attacked, this time locking with Jim’s sword long enough that he could get a better look at his opponent. Whoever it was was slightly taller in build than Jim, but the shadows of the Deep hid any other features from sight. All features except for one, that is:

It was wearing the Eclipse armor.

“What are you!?” Jim cried out, keeping the onslaught of attacks from the Eclipse blade - _his_ blade - at bay.

But the red shadow only chuckled, a low noise that mimicked the sound of rocks grinding together.

Their dance of death continued, Jim meeting every blow from the humanoid figure with his own. Jim nearly made contact with his blade, only for his strike to be redirected as he was thrown back against a wall. He gasped in alarm as his attacker started rolling towards him, similar to a move he’d seen Draal use. A very troll-like move. After a few more block-and-parry exchanges it lept from the area illuminated by Jim’s Daylight, presumably to find a better angle of attack.

_What is this thing?_

_They warned me I would have to face my darkest fears down here… but this? I can’t even put a name to this nightmare._

Jim tried to reign in his fear as he stood in a ready stance. Fear ( _a la_ Rule Number 1) might keep him alive, but it could also kill just as quickly if he lost control. A grating rumble echoed from all around, making it near impossible to determine where the source of the sound was.

_Breathe in. Breathe out._

Jim heard the weight of the Eclipse armor land behind him. He turned and raised his sword just in time to block what surely would have been a killing blow.

_Maybe fear is the key to getting out of here. Naming the fear, that is._

Jim held off a few more attacks, aware that he was being pushed backwards towards another wall. One misstep, though, and he felt his sword wrenched from his grip as he stumbled onto his back. The sword just out of his reach, Jim’s shield materialized to block a forceful downward swing from the figure in red. Sensing its prey was trapped, the figure hunched down over Jim with snarling laughter. The flaming red from the Eclipse blade, combined with Jim’s faint light source, revealed more of his attacker to him.

He gasped, his eyes growing wide in a mix of shock and terror.

_No… No no no no… it can’t be…_

The thing growling over him shared the same hair as Jim. The same cheekbones as Jim. The same nose as Jim. But everything about this creature was wilder, almost beast-like. Instead of incisors, it had large fangs. And the eyes weren’t like any he’d ever seen on a human, as they were somewhat reptilian in nature.

But he _had_ seen them on a Changeling before.

_So is this my fear? That I could be a Changeling? Or some other sort of human-troll hybrid?_

Considering his mom’s recent, er, _relationship_ with his Changeling teacher, it wasn’t completely impossible. But as Jim searched his feelings, he knew it couldn’t be true.

_No… this squishy fleshbag is all human. I’ve held enough Gaggletacks to be certain of that._

Jim pushed forward with his shield to put some space between himself and his attacker. Taking advantage of the moment’s distraction, Jim deftly recovered his sword to stand toe-to-toe against the nightmare. Their blades were mere inches apart, Jim staring the figure in red down over the edge of his shield while it sneered back at him.

_Why does this thing scare me so much?_

The beast pressed its attack once more. Jim could feel himself struggling to match the power of its blows. The hitch in his side was becoming more painful as it became harder to breathe normally.

_Breathe in... Breathe..._

But try as he might, Jim could tell he was fading fast. It would only be a matter of time before the Eclipse Blade struck him down.

_I’m not strong enough. My friends need me to come back, but I’m just not strong enough…_

As despair began to set in, each block of his attacker’s swings felt like it could be his last.

_Classic Jim. You can’t accomplish anything without help. On your own you’re helpless. Weak._

Once again Jim had lost his grip on the Sword of Daylight, and it was all he could do to cower behind his shield to delay the inevitable.

_It’s like Usurna said right before dropping me in here. I’m a failure because I’m human. I’m not the Trollhunter everyone needs. I’m not strong enough._

The figure in red curled its lip, baring its fangs in a knowing grin as it continued to wear away the last of Jim’s defenses.

A realization dawned on Jim.

_That must be it. My fear. That I’m not good enough. Because I’m human. Because I’m_ me _._

Jim felt some strength returning to his legs. He started pushing back against the Eclipse Blade’s onslaught, regaining his footing.

_The amulet chose me for a reason…_

The Sword of Daylight reappeared in his hand, its blue glow steadily increasing in intensity.

_It chose me in spite of the fact that I’m human._

The tide of the battle was shifting. The figure in red seemed like it was shrinking, little by little, each time Jim swung out.

_Being human doesn’t make me weak._

Jim wrested the Eclipse Blade out of the imposter’s grasp. The blade buried itself in a stone outcropping a few feet away before vanishing in a haze of red.

_Being human means my strength comes from something different than pure brawn._

Jim swept his opponent off-balance, causing it to fall onto its back.

_My love for my friends, and their love for me, that’s what makes me strong._

The Sword of Daylight was poised to finish the fight.

“And I’ll stop at nothing to protect them!!” Jim roared, channeling all his might into a strike that would never land. The physical manifestation of his fear dissolved before him like a cloud of smoke. Jim was left panting while both hands gripped his sword, alone in the would-have-been grave. After checking that he truly was alone, he did a little twirl with his weapon and secured it to his back. He looked up, still unable to see any source of light beyond the soft blue glow of his armor.

“It’s up there somewhere,” he thought aloud to himself, “and so are my friends. They need me. They all do.”

Jim had no clue how long he’d been down here, but he hoped it wasn’t too long. With Gunmar on the loose and his allies growing by the hour, the world above needed its Trollhunter back.

_Looks like I’ve got a long climb ahead of me._

**Author's Note:**

> I drew a little inspiration from the song "[Human](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EnrFe3Zb6k)" by Of Monsters and Men - I was listening to it this morning and it just sort of screamed "Jim!" at me, haha


End file.
